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Post by dearambellina on Mar 16, 2009 11:35:42 GMT -5
Yeah, they don't fight over chicken and other meats, but they do over the whole prey. Which is silly because they get whole prey everyday. I finally got around to ordering some of that stella and chewies. So now I can work some more on getting Penelope and Dorian switched over. I'm trying to work on figuring out a way to ferret proof the ferret room so that they can be at least free roaming in their room. But I can't officially build it to how I want it till the guest leaves, which could be up to 3 months!! But I'm planning ahead to what I need. It will certainly be an adventure!
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Post by spiritualtramp on Mar 18, 2009 10:39:30 GMT -5
It can be tough, trust me I know! Hopefully you'll be able to get them back into their room sooner rather than later.
It can be surprising sometimes what they choose to fight over, but in my home it's never chicken either! I think chicken is just bland and when offered the choice, they'd rather eat something else. I hope the Stella & Chewy's helps Dorian and Penelope. I would break it it into pieces and put it in a bowl of warm water. They absorb some of the water and then flavor the rest, which can help get the kids interested. It helped my Tanker for sure!
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Post by dearambellina on Mar 18, 2009 14:22:47 GMT -5
I was planning on breaking it up into pieces. Will the soaking it in water help them get used to the raw texture? or is freeze dried food supposed to be soaked in water before it can be eaten?
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Post by spiritualtramp on Mar 19, 2009 8:27:04 GMT -5
You can feed it dry or wet, I just found that wetting it helped with the transition, as raw meats are of course 'wet.' However, if they have issues with it wet at first, try it dry and gradually add water. When I go on trips with them, I usually leave it dry just for simplicity's sake - it keeps longer obviously and creates much less mess if you have stashers (which my kids are, naturally.)
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Post by dearambellina on Mar 19, 2009 21:18:20 GMT -5
I have Penelope trying it wet right now. Dorian isn't sure yet. I broke it into kibble sized pieces and he would take one and lick it, and look at me, then lick it again. So *crosses fingers*
I was sent a sample of Chicken Nibblets with the bags and Frodo is going CRAZY for them! Hahaha.
I just checked on Penelope and she ate about half a patty and a little kibble. For her, that's great, haha. So Hopefully this is the key!
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Post by spiritualtramp on Mar 20, 2009 21:23:18 GMT -5
A small start is still a start! Give them some snuggles for me. I think that once they get a taste for the patties, they'll eagerly yearn for more.
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Post by dearambellina on Mar 21, 2009 23:43:30 GMT -5
Penelope LOVES her patties. Dorian will munch on them, but not as eagerly. I hid tiny tiny chunks of pork that had been sitting out for a few hours so that the texture was slightly different from fresh meat and Penny ate about half of them. Small victories!
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Post by spiritualtramp on Mar 23, 2009 10:54:09 GMT -5
Hey hey that's awesome!! Bit by bit, they're getting into it. I'm glad to hear that it's working. Dorian is still holding out but we'll see a change of heart soon, I can feel it.
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Post by dearambellina on Mar 24, 2009 23:37:50 GMT -5
Penelope is still being a snob and doesn't want chicken. she only wants her patties. Same with Dorian. You'd think I was trying to poison them the way they act with raw meat.
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Post by spiritualtramp on Mar 25, 2009 9:13:38 GMT -5
That's the way Tank was, the second time around after he pulled out his claw and refused to eat raw anymore. It's a battle for sure but be persistent.
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Post by dearambellina on Mar 28, 2009 17:17:55 GMT -5
Haha, my RodentPro order came in and everyone's happy!
A store right down the street from me (within walking distance! WOO!) sells Stella and Chewies and I picked up the Duck Duck Goose kind and she is in HEAVEN! Hahaha.
The ferrets (minus Dorian) are SO happy chicks are back in the house.
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Post by spiritualtramp on Mar 30, 2009 10:26:32 GMT -5
Oh good she likes the S&C!!! I actually just got a new boy - I'll be posting an intro and pics shortly - who was raised on whole prey so I'm going to be trying to get everyone to eat them. He loves his mousies! If that goes smoothly, I'll move onto chicks.
Any hiccups thus far? What's your average schedule look like for all the cats and ferrets, daily and weekly, so that I can get a sense of how far everyone is individually?
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Post by dearambellina on Mar 31, 2009 21:01:28 GMT -5
Awwe, congrats on the new boy!
Let's see, Smokey gets one very meaty drumstick twice a day. I give him a pinky or two every few days in addition and some Missing Link supplement once a week for the nutrients. I figure it can't hurt since he can't handle organs.
Izzy and Frodo each get 2 chicks and 6 pinkies twice a day (they don't like adult mice, hate quail, not fond of regular chicken anymore). Sometimes that's not enough for Frodo so I will give him a handful of pinkies midday.
Charlotte and Jane get 4 chicks and 7 or 8 pinkies per day. I throw it all on a plate and give it to them. I like to pretty much free feed them because of my schedule, and the guest in their room, but that amount does last them 24 hours.
Penelope gets a patty and a half of S&Cs twice a day. It's slow going getting the meat in. She HATES meat.
Dorian is still the uber kibble head. He doesn't mind S&C dry but heaven forbid I add water to it. He also HATES raw meat. He also gets EVO, which the girls will nosh on but now that my RP order came in they mostly leave the kibble alone.
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Post by spiritualtramp on Apr 1, 2009 15:03:25 GMT -5
Great thanks, that helps me to visualize a bit better. Those that are eating pinkies readily, try adding some other ages of mice to their diet. Will they eat other foods too? I'm sure you know just mice & chicks is not quite perfectly balanced so I'd like to see them up their variety of food sources.
So good to hear that Dorian is now eating the S&Cs dry! I know it's frustrating to work up this way but slowly (and I mean, like a drop a day) add minuscule amounts of water, when you feel he's ready enough.
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Post by dearambellina on Apr 1, 2009 22:47:06 GMT -5
I tried adult mice and they do NOT like them. they're good with hoppers. I have a rabbit that I'm planning on thawing soon and splitting up.
If I seem a but scatterbrained the next few weeks its because I'm fostering 3, two-day-old kittens. They were found under a vending machine at a high school. Two gray male tabbys and a female calico!
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